Oliver Wendell Holmes was born on August 29, 1809 in Cambrige, Massachusetts and he died on October 7, 1894 in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 85. He was buried at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Watertown, Massachusetts.
He was the son of Abiel Holmes, who was a Congregational minister and Sarah Wendell, a historian and Abiel's second wife.
Oliver Wendell Holmes had three older sisters, and a younger brother.
A daguerreotype of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. in 1841
Holmes was a doctor, a speaker, and an author that graduated from Harvard in 1829. Then, he entered law school.
When he grew tired of law school in 1830, he went on to medicine.
Holmes was also known for his public speaking skills. He recited, and wrote poems at special occasions. He also presented lively lectures about literature.
He first began to really enjoy writing when he went to Harvard.
He was part of the Phi Beta Kappa, an honor society at Harvard, and had many friends.
During the year that Holmes graduated from Harvard, 1829, he wrote the popular poem, Old Ironsides.
In his early years, he wrote much comic verse and poetry. He gained much fame with the publication of “Old Ironsides,” which still reminds Americans of the great warship from the War of 1812.
Holmes published poems in Harvard's the Collegian and in the New England Galaxy a little later.
Some of his most famous poems are The Deacon's Masterpiece, The Last Leaf, The Chambered Nautilus, and My Aunt.
Holmes wrote three novels,
Elsie Venner (1861);
The Guardian Angel (1867); and
A Mortal Antipathy (1885).
They all are about his religious views, but are not fiction.
In Paris, he studied medicine, and then he went back to Harvard to receive his M.D. in 1836.
Holmes married Amelia Lee Jackson on June 15, 1840 at King's Chapel in Boston. They had three children: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Amelia Jackson Holmes, and Edward Jackson Holmes.
In 1842, he drew attention to the contagiousness of the puerperal fever, which is said to be one of his greatest contributions to the medical world.
He founded The Atlantic Montly, a magazine, in 1857 with the help of James Russell Lowell.
He was the anatomy professor at Dartmouth College for two years then he became the anatomy professor at Harvard.
Later on, he became Harvard's Dean of Medical School until 1882.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., who was his son, was a Supreme Court justice for the U.S. from 1902-1932.
Portrait of the children of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr: Edward Jackson Holmes, Amelia Jackson Holmes, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Written By Oliver Wendell Holmes about The Last Leaf: My publishers tell me that it would add to the interest of the Poem if I would mention any circumstances connected with its composition, publication, and reception. This request must be the excuse of my communicativeness. Just when it was written I cannot exactly say, nor in what paper or periodical it was first published. It must have been written before April, 1833; probably in 1831 or 1832. It was republished in the first edition of my poems, in the year 1836.
The Poem was suggested by the sight of a figure well known to Bostonians of the years just mentioned, that of Major Thomas Melville, "the last of the cocked hats," as he was sometimes called. The Major had been a personable young man, very evidently, and retained evidence of it in "The monumental pomp of age,"-- which had something imposing and something odd about it for youthful eyes like mine. He was often pointed at as one of the "Indians" of the famous "Boston Tea-Party" of 1774. His aspect among the crowds of a later generation reminded me of a withered leaf which has held to its stem through the storms of autumn and winter, and find s itself still clinging to its bough while the new growths of spring are bursting their buds and spreading their foliage all around it. I make this explanation for the benefit of those who have been puzzled by the lines.
OUR PHOTO STORY
Oliver sitting at desk in the study of his Boston home
The Last Leaf- Oliver Wendell Holmes
I saw him once before,
As he passed by the door,
And again
The pavement stones resound,
As he totters o'er the ground
With his cane.
They say that in his prime,
Ere the pruning-knife of Time
Cut him down,
Not a better man was found
By the Crier on his round
Through the town.
Holmes in his older years
But now he walks the streets,
And he looks at all he meets
Sad and wan,
And he shakes his feeble head,
That it seems as if he said,
"They are gone!"
The mossy marbles rest
On the lips that he has prest
In their bloom,
And the names he loved to hear
Have been carved for many a year
On the tomb.
My grandmamma has said--
Poor old lady, she is dead
Long ago--
That he had a Roman nose,
And his cheek was like a rose
In the snow;
But now his nose is thin,
And it rests upon his chin
Daguerreotype of Holmes taken by Josiah Johnson Hawes
Like a staff,
And a crook is in his back,
And a melancholy crack
In his laugh.
I know it is a sin
For me to sit and grin
At him here;
But the old three-cornered hat,
And the breeches, and all that,
Are so queer!
And if I should live to be
The last leaf upon the tree
In the spring,
Let them smile, as I do now,
At the old forsaken bough
Where I cling.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
By: Spencer, Jordan, and Kaitlyn
Photo story! (see below)
Fun Facts About Oliver Wendell Holmes:
Written By Oliver Wendell Holmes about The Last Leaf:
My publishers tell me that it would add to the interest of the Poem if I would mention any circumstances connected with its composition, publication, and reception. This request must be the excuse of my communicativeness. Just when it was written I cannot exactly say, nor in what paper or periodical it was first published. It must have been written before April, 1833; probably in 1831 or 1832. It was republished in the first edition of my poems, in the year 1836.
The Poem was suggested by the sight of a figure well known to Bostonians of the years just mentioned, that of Major Thomas Melville, "the last of the cocked hats," as he was sometimes called. The Major had been a personable young man, very evidently, and retained evidence of it in
"The monumental pomp of age,"--
which had something imposing and something odd about it for youthful eyes like mine. He was often pointed at as one of the "Indians" of the famous "Boston Tea-Party" of 1774. His aspect among the crowds of a later generation reminded me of a withered leaf which has held to its stem through the storms of autumn and winter, and find
s itself still clinging to its bough while the new growths of spring are bursting their buds and spreading their foliage all around it. I make this explanation for the benefit of those who have been puzzled by the lines.
OUR PHOTO STORY
The Last Leaf- Oliver Wendell Holmes
I saw him once before,As he passed by the door,
And again
The pavement stones resound,
As he totters o'er the ground
With his cane.
They say that in his prime,
Ere the pruning-knife of Time
Cut him down,
Not a better man was found
By the Crier on his round
Through the town.
And he looks at all he meets
Sad and wan,
And he shakes his feeble head,
That it seems as if he said,
"They are gone!"
The mossy marbles rest
On the lips that he has prest
In their bloom,
And the names he loved to hear
Have been carved for many a year
On the tomb.
My grandmamma has said--
Poor old lady, she is dead
Long ago--
That he had a Roman nose,
And his cheek was like a rose
In the snow;
But now his nose is thin,
And it rests upon his chin
Like a staff,
And a crook is in his back,
And a melancholy crack
In his laugh.
I know it is a sin
For me to sit and grin
At him here;
But the old three-cornered hat,
And the breeches, and all that,
Are so queer!
And if I should live to be
The last leaf upon the tree
In the spring,
Let them smile, as I do now,
At the old forsaken bough
Where I cling.
WEB PAGE WORKS CITED:
Crystal, David. "Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1809-94)." The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1994. 461. Print.Hawes, Josiah Johnson. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr Daguerreotype. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oliver_Wendell_Holmes_Sr_daguerreotype.jpeg>.Holmes in Study. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 31 Mar. 2009. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Holmes_in_study.jpg>.Holmes, Oliver Wendell. Edward Jackson Holmes Amelia Jackson Holmes Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr Daguerreotype. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 06 June 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Jackson_Holmes_Amelia_Jackson_Holmes_Oliver_Wendell_Holmes_Jr_daguerreotype.jpeg>.Holmes, Oliver Wendell. "The Last Leaf." Ibiblio - The Public's Library and Digital Archive. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/owh/llpix.html>."Oliver Wendell Holmes (American Physician and Writer) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/269504/Oliver-Wendell-Holmes>."Oliver Wendell Holmes Biography - Life, Family, Childhood, Children, Story, School, Mother, Old, Information, Born, College, House, Time, Year, Sister." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 21 Jan. 2011. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Holmes-Oliver-Wendell.html>.Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, 1841. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oliver_Wendell_Holmes_Sr,_1841.jpg>."Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Biography from Who2.com." Biographies from Who2.com. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.who2.com/oliverwendellholmessr.html>."The Last Leaf, by Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1895." Ibiblio - The Public's Library and Digital Archive. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/owh/llpix.html>.World Book. "Oliver Wendell Holmes." World Book. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/articleid=ar259600&st=oliver+wendell+holmes>.
VIDEO WORKS CITED:
Black and White Old Station Clock Wallpaper. Digital image. The Long Goodbye. 11 Nov. 2009. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://thelonggoodbye.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/black-and-white-old-station-clock-wallpaper/>.Britton, Ian. Graveyard. Digital image. FreeFoto.com. Web. 30 Jan. 2011. <http://www.freefoto.com/preview/9905-08-4?ffid=9905-08-4&usg=_>.De Goya, Francisco. Charles III, 1786-88. Digital image. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 24 July 2006. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_III,_1786-88.jpg>.Filipspagnoli. "Google Image Result for Http:filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/justice-oliver-wendell-holmes.jpg." Google. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. <Filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/justice-oliver-wendell-holmes.jpg>.Grandma, granny, nana, free people cartoon clipart images. Digital image. Cartoon Clip Art Free Images, Royalty Free Clip Art Cartoon Graphics, Gifs, Funny Pics, Pictures Download. Web. 30 Jan. 2011. <http://www.clipproject.info/Clipart_Menschen_Seite_1.html>.Hirschfelder, David, perf. "Scenes from Childhood "Almost Too Serious." Shine: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. 1996. MP3."I saw him once before" Digital image. Ibiblio - The Public's Library and Digital Archive. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/owh/llpix.html>.John Foley, last Town Crier. Digital image. SLHA: Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. Web. 12 Jan. 2011. <http://ruby.wheal.net/SLHA/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LHFeatures>.Man Smiiling. Digital image. Food Ideas, Healthy Living Tips, Decorating Advice and Much More :: All About You. 29 July 2008. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.allaboutyou.com/diet-wellbeing/understanding-men-quiz/v1>.Old man smiling. Digital image. Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. 2009. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.flickr.com/groups/portraits_of_all_countries/discuss/72157622782213720/#comment72157622828535100>."Photos - TestQ." TestQ : The Best Career Quiz Site, Period. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. <http://www.testq.com/photos/41733-smart-looking-guy->.Tara, Bradford. Brick streets in Plymouth's "Old Town" near the Barbican. Shops, art galleries and restaurants line these streets. Digital image. Paris Parfait. 22 Oct. 2007. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://parisparfait.typepad.com/paris_parfait/2007/10/a-plymouth-prim.html>. The Last Leaf On A Tree. : The Last Leaf Images, Pics, Photos, Wallpapers, Photogallery - 414762277391. Digital image. Explore Profiles and Express Your Opinions on People, Places, Trends and Events. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://connect.in.com/the-last-leaf/images-the-last-leaf-on-a-tree-1-414762277391.html>.White Crystal Glass Stone. Digital image. Marble Tiles, Limestone Tiles, Travertine Tiles, Granite, Basalt. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.stoneville.co.uk/stones/other/whitecrystal.html>.